The Sweet Tooth Fairie

I was supposed to meet Fio and a group of friends to watch "The Tooth Fairie" last Friday but there was a change of plans. I hope she had fun watching it with her hubby instead!

So instead, I woke up early the next morning (read earliER than the usual 1PM) and decided to be a Sweet Tooth Fairie instead. After all, there was the excuse of Henry's housewarming that evening. I can't possibly go to a pot luck dinner with my hands empty, can I?

So after driving to the nearest G-Value at Serangoon Central myself after like, ages or weeks of not sitting in the driver's seat (and I STILL managed to park perfectly straight on my first try!!) and trying to maneuver myself and the red shopping basket around the swarm of old aunties doing their Saturday morning marketing, I rushed back home to get lunch going and whip up my brownies at the same time.

Then just about to get into the thick of things, I remembered my camera.

Run to get my camera from the bedroom. Pause on the way back to turn the music player louder. Flip the recipe book to the page that I almost know by heart already. After all, it's my favorite brownie recipe which I've probably done more than a hundred times by now. Spread a towel on the counter with the mixing bowl and mixer.

Ok, NOW we're set to go.

First, the eggs. and oil. and brown sugar. and vanilla essence. thrown together into the wonderfully huge mixing bowl.

whip them together.

Melt the baking choc over the pot of boiling potatoes (that are for lunch). It's hard times, ya know. I'm tryna be economical over here and save on the expensive gas.

Pour the melted choc into the previously mixed batter.

"Stir showy."

Actually, no. It should be "beat well." Like, turn the mixer to top speed and let those metal swirling spoons hash it out with the Dark Brown VS. Light Brown.

Next, spoon in several tablespoons of the expensively canned cocoa powder. I think just the price of the packaging alone busted my savings, with all them gold words.

The messily fun part - sifting.

Not forgetting Miss Independent Flour... We could always do with some dough. Literally and otherwise.

Watch the mini snow storm rain down on Sweettooth Town.

Bury the dry ingredients and emotions underneath till it turns into a warm serene dark brown.

Make a sweet thing sweeter with chocolate overload. I never heard of anyone who has died from over-sweetness, have you?

The first part of the final step.

Does it look good? :)

Done-ded!

There is little rival to the sense of satisfaction that comes with completion.

We were created to create. Every article of scrap on a scrapbook page, every stitch of the needle into the fabric, each crumb of brownie is a silent witness of the flow of emotions that went into making it a work of art.

And at the end of the day, I hope the rest of them enjoyed the end-product.(:

**She expects the coming week to be crazy with the usual Month-end Madness**

My Umbrella Angel

Reaching the Exit A opening at the Tanjong Pagar MRT station this morning, I peered up into the ash-grey sky anxiously. Great, it’s hardly drizzling. I THINK I can make it to office without getting too wet. After all, it's just a seven minute walk across a road and an open field, and another road, pass a building, then another road, then another building, and another road, and another field, and another road. It shouldn't take that long. Surely the storm clouds can rein in the impatient rain for just a few more minutes?

Apparently, the clouds had a slightly different idea from me.

As I hurried along, head bent with one hand shielding my face and the other clutching my bag in a vain attempt to keep it dry, the raindrops began to fall bigger. Faster. Heavier.

Oh, and did you ever notice that once people are under the safety of their own little umbrellas, they tend to forget that there are some less lucky people behind them who DON'T have umbrellas (or da tous, for that matter) and instead crawl along at a speed that matches a snail's pace? On both sides of the walkway, for that matter. And with music blasting in their headphones so that they cannot hear you when you say "Excuse me." If you haven't noticed, then you might like to try walking to work without an umbrella for one rainy day. Personal experience is a wonderful eye-opener.

So thanks to the gradually intensifying rain and slow-moving TGIF people, I've finally reached the temporary shelter of the first building I need to walk through with hair dripping, clothes damp, and sandals drenched from puddles I couldn't avoid. Should I brave the rain for the second half of the stretch since I'm already pretty much dowsed with it, or shall I wait it out until it lessens again (if and when it does)?

The second option looked WAY more attractive somehow.

Sigh. I hate having to be late for work, rain or no rain. Standing at the walkway side, staring out forlornly at the rain happily pouring down, thinking of all the things I need to do/could be doing in office right this minute if not for the RAIN...

Out of the corner of my eye, someone holding a big black umbrella strode past, almost about to step out into the rain, when he suddenly turned to look back at me with a "Hey!"

It was my sales colleague. With an umbrella big enough to share. God-sent.

As we walked the remaining stretch to office, he told me that he usually walked by the other way, the along-the-main-road route on the left. But for some strange reason, he decided to come by this way this morning instead, he didn't know why.

I knew why.

Coz sometimes God sends angels to visit us, just when we need them. In the form of our friends. Holding an umbrella. On a rainy day.

It made a perfect start to an imperfect day. Thanks, Shawn.(:

**She jumped in her seat once during Law-Abiding Citizens earlier, even though she knew a shocker scene was coming. A good movie with an intriguing plot, but certainly not for the faint-hearted...!**

A Matter of Perspective

It’s interesting how sometimes we can get so focused on our own work and problems that we start to fall into a Me-Against-Them attitude. Instead of riding out each day with a positive outlook, we end up struggling to make it through each hour in office. Every new obstacle we face, each added frustration in our work makes us conclude that the whole world is out to get us or that “they’re just trying to make things difficult.”

We lose our focus – or rather, we become TOO focused till we end up only seeing the tree in front of us instead of the entire forest all around.

“Why me?” We whine. “Why is it always ME having all the shitload to clear at work? How come everyone else seems to be getting it easier while I’m dying over here? Life is so unfair!”

Sure, some days are so crazy we office folks just wanna throw everything out the window – the Laptop, stacks and stacks of documents, and that irritating ringing-itself-off-the-hook phone included…

Until we pause to look around us, and realize that Hey, in reality, EVERYONE is facing just as much stress and frustrations as we are! The only difference is in kind and intensity.

Just because they don’t bitch about their problems doesn’t mean they don’t have any. Just because they don’t mention it doesn’t mean that they are not swamped with work assignments too. Just because they don’t have the same job scope as us doesn’t exclude the possibility that they’re not also working themselves to death to make it for appointments and meetings and deadlines.

The point I’m trying to make is, we need to keep everything in perspective.

Although it is definitely crucial to stay focused on our own work and not take it to the extreme of busy-bodying into other people’s business, it is always good to step back every now and then and glance at the full picture. It gives us an idea of where we are and where we’re headed, and helps us to look at things more objectively.

That frustrating mountain of a problem blocking our way suddenly becomes just a stepping stone, a nitty-gritty detail which cannot be ignored but becomes small-ER in the light of bigger things.

Life is short. There's no point wasting time worrying needlessly about things that are outside your control.

Work hard, play hard.

And don't forget to laugh often. (:

**She doesn't know what to expect in the days ahead, but she is looking forward with anticipation.**

Don't Make Me Fall...

...if you don't have the intention to catch me when I fall. ~ Isabel Yeap

**She finds the silence deafening.**

Mars Vs. Venus

The male brain has confounded females for generations.

That's the sole reason why the book Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus is a best-seller. It is a mystery to ladies what actually goes on inside a guy's mind. Deep thoughts, surely. Scarily complicated, hard to read, and impossible to comprehend...

Wrong.

Coming from a family that consists of a majority of male members, I have since through the years received interesting ideas first-hand of how guys think and function, in opposition to girls. Don't quote me as I do not profess to be an expert in dissecting guys's brains, but upon existing in close proximity with several (cool) (good-looking) (Martian) brothers, one eventually comes to a conclusion on a few facts. For instance, Guys cannot multi-task (e.g., they doodle while talking on the phone. Beat that!), they love cars and speed, they have only One Thing top most on their mind, and they possess huge egos.

And apparently, as I was reminded this evening, they are rather simple creatures, too.

My brother and I were leaning against the banisters in Changi Airport Terminal 3, waiting for the others who were browsing in a shop, when he turned to me with laughter scrawled across his face.

"I tell you ah," he said grinning, his amusement apparently triggered by a memory of some sort, "It's really funny how the way guys and girls think and interpret things are so different."

"Why le?" I waited expectantly for some new revelation of his concerning Martians and Venusians.

"You see, for instance, a guy and a girl can be sitting in the car. The guy is driving-" he imitated a hunching over the steering wheel, "and then the girl turns to him and makes the comment, 'Do you know, we've been together for one year already.'

"And the guy says, 'Wow, one year already ah,' and then continues driving without making any more comments.

"Then the whole time that the guy doesn't say anything, the girl starts getting all kan cheong and anxious, thinking, 'Why is he keeping quiet? Oh no...Is it because he is not happy? Maybe he thinks that one year is too long?' and all kinds of funny stuff."

I nodded knowingly, extremely amused.

"And the whole time, do you know what the guy is thinking? He's actually thinking, 'Humm. One year already. That's 365 days times 24 hours times...'"

"REALLY ah??" I asked, laughing out loud and grimacing at the same time. So much for hoping that guys could be just a tad romantic.

"Really! That's why it's always so difficult for the girls to understand what guys are thinking. Guys are actually really simple creatures one. But the girls tend to read too much into everything. So once the guy keeps quiet only, the girl starts to be all worried and trying to reason out what the guy must be thinking."

"Yeah, that's true." I spoke with the experienced air of one who knew exactly what she was talking about. "It's just the lady's nature, cannot stop it wan. Once anything like that happens, the girl's mind automatically kicks into gear, and starts questioning and reasoning and giving excuses and all that."

Then a sudden thought struck me. Turning back to him, I asked curiously, "So if the girl gets all kan cheong when the guy keeps quiet...then what does the guy think if the girl is the one who keeps quiet? I mean, if he even THINKS anything??"

He looked thoughtful for a second.

"Well, usually if the girl keeps quiet, it means she's angry or upset about something. Especially if she's normally the chatty type. So if the girl keeps too quiet, then sometimes the guy will get worried too. But-" he paused while a mischievous twinkle entered his eyes.

"But...if the girl keeps quiet, then you just keep quiet also lor..?" I finished for him, catching the train of thoughts.

He nodded, chuckling.

I groaned and shook my head as we turned to head for the carpark.

Receiving fresh insights into how a guy thinks is always a bonus point. It may not be how EVERY single guy on this planet thinks, so please don't think that I'm stereo-typing in any way. But hey, we are always learning, are we not? And I guess learning to balance our expectations about Martians might be a good place to start. (:

**She really should get way more sleep than what she's clocking now.**

2009 is History; 2010, the PRESENT

2009 flew by.

I don't know how else to describe it. It's as if someone snapped their fingers, and bingo, we are already in the first few days of 2010!

And just like that, too, a million things have happened, a million things which bring back memories. Big events and small, accomplishments, learning curves, chill-outs, first-time experiences, old friends and new, travels to places I'd never been, becoming an Aunt...

Perhaps the most valuable life lesson I learned in 2009 was that there is a time and reason for everything - balance is the key.

And now it is 2010.

We spent New Year's Day together as a family - Looking forward to more wonderful times with my two sises! <3

New Year's Day dinner @ Sam & Sandrine's lovely house!

On New Year's Eve, we joined ARPC for their yearly Watchnight Service Dinner.

Tom & I were having fun playing with the camera functions of our identical Samsung Jets...hence, the pictures

The faces at Our table (:

And traveling back in time, so to speak, here are some chill out pics from the last two weeks of December 2009...

Dec 28: Celebrating Faith's 21st birthday!~

Dinner @ Handburger, Desserts @ MOF

Dec 22: Chilling~out with dive Khakis!

"Happy Hour" @ an Italian Restaurant in Raffles City

Many long months after our first dive trip together, Farhana & I finally meet again!(: An awesome evening of catching up and making plans for this year's dive trips.^^

God has been good to us in 2009. There are so many things that I look forward to in 2010, some things I tremble with nervousness as much as I do with excitement just thinking about it, but most of all I look forward to being witness of God's faithfulness and grace as I face whatever He sends my way.

**She misses her baby Misty so much.**